Ronald Koeman will have to draw on all of his tactical acumen to plot Everton’s derby tactics.

The Blues head to Anfield looking for a first win across Stanley Park in 18 years but as one of the form teams in the division and with the league’s leading scorer.

And a win in the 228th derby will see Everton close the gap on Liverpool to three points.

But Koeman is having to prepare his side for Saturday’s early kick-off amid the backdrop of a growing injury list.

Seamus Coleman has been ruled out for the foreseeable future after suffering a double leg break last week on international duty for the Republic of Ireland.

James McCarthy pulled up in the warm up for that game and is likely to miss out, Morgan Schneiderlin is trying to recover from a calf problem and Ramiro Funes Mori looks set to be out for the rest of the campaign with a knee injury.